Can law firms offer accredited CLE?

No, there is no single national CLE tracking system. Each state maintains its own system for monitoring attorney CLE compliance, and attorneys must track credits separately for every jurisdiction where they are licensed.

How CLE Tracking Works Today

• State-based systems: Most state bars or MCLE boards require attorneys to report credits through online portals or compliance certificates.
• Self-reporting: Some states place the responsibility fully on attorneys to track and report their hours.
• Provider reporting: In certain jurisdictions, approved CLE providers report completed credits directly to the state on behalf of attorneys.

Challenges for Multi-State Attorneys

• Attorneys licensed in multiple states must manage different deadlines, credit types, and reporting cycles.
• Lack of uniformity increases the risk of missing deadlines or misclassifying credits.
• Multi-state practitioners often use private tracking tools or provider platforms to consolidate their records.

Provider Support

• Sprout Education tracks CLE completion across jurisdictions, helping attorneys manage varying state requirements and ensuring accurate, timely reporting.

Key Takeaway: There is no national CLE tracking system; compliance is handled state by state, requiring attorneys to manage reporting individually or through trusted providers.

It depends on your jurisdiction — in some states yes, pro bono legal work can count toward CLE credit under specified conditions, while in many others it is expressly excluded.
Where permitted, the jurisdiction will typically impose eligibility rules (which pro bono providers qualify, how many hours convert to credit, caps per period, and documentation requirements).

Details:

• In New York, you may earn 1 CLE credit hour for every 2 hours (120 minutes) of eligible pro bono legal service, up to 10 pro bono CLE credits per two-year reporting cycle.
• In Minnesota, one standard CLE credit is allowed for every 6 hours of pro bono legal representation through an approved legal services provider, with a cap of 6 credits per 3-year reporting period.
• In West Virginia, attorneys earn 1 CLE credit for every 3 completed hours of pro bono legal services performed at certain enumerated organizations, up to a maximum of 6 pro bono credits per reporting period.
• Many states do not allow pro bono work to count at all. For example, New Jersey lists pro bono work among activities that “WILL NOT be given CLE credit.”
• The Pro Bono and CLE Credit Guide (2025) notes that as of July 2025, 22 states permit some pro bono service for CLE credit, while 24 states do not permit it.

Key Takeaway:
Check your own state’s CLE rules — if pro bono hours are eligible, they’ll come with strict eligibility criteria, conversion ratios, and caps, so don’t assume all your pro bono work will count.

CLE is required on either an annual or biennial basis, depending on the state. Some jurisdictions require attorneys to complete CLE hours every year, while others set a two-year reporting cycle.

Common Reporting Periods

• Annual cycle: Attorneys must earn and report CLE credits each year (e.g., states like Alabama, Kansas, or Wyoming).
• Biennial cycle: Attorneys have a two-year period to complete their credits (e.g., states like California, New York, or Pennsylvania).
• Three-year cycle: A smaller group of states, such as Washington, operate on a three-year reporting cycle.

Practical Impact

• Compliance deadlines vary and often align with the attorney’s birth month, admission date, or a fixed calendar deadline.
• Attorneys practicing in multiple states must track separate compliance periods.
• Sprout Education monitors these jurisdictional differences to help attorneys stay on schedule across all reporting cycles.

Key Takeaway: CLE reporting frequency is not uniform—some states require annual compliance, others biennial, and a few triennial. Attorneys must follow the rules of their licensing state(s).

No — you generally cannot share a CLE subscription with a colleague unless the provider’s terms explicitly permit it.

CLE providers and bar regulators almost always require that each user/licensee have a distinct, individual account so attendance verification, certificates, and credit tracking remain accurate.

Details:
– CLE providers typically verify attendance through unique user logins, activity tracking, and certificates tied to a specific attorney (with name and bar number).
– Sharing access (for example, passing your login credentials or allowing another person to use your account) would violate provider rules and could jeopardize credit validity.
– Even if a subscription is marketed as “firm-wide” or “multi-seat,” that does not mean you can treat a single personal subscription as shareable — the distinction is whether the package explicitly supports multiple authorized users.
– Bar or MCLE regulators may reject credit claims if attendance verification is questionable or noncompliant.

Key Takeaway: Unless a CLE subscription is explicitly licensed for multiple users (e.g. firm or seat-based licensing), you must use your own individual access to ensure credits are properly tracked and honored.

Self-study CLE is continuing legal education that attorneys complete independently, without attending a live class or interactive program. It typically includes recorded courses, reading materials, or online modules that can be done on demand at the attorney’s own pace.

What Self-Study CLE Includes

• On-demand video or audio programs.
• Recorded webcasts from prior live CLE events.
• Approved legal publications, articles, or written materials with quizzes.
• Online courses with self-assessment questions to verify completion.

Limits on Self-Study Credits

• Many states cap the number of self-study hours attorneys can apply toward their CLE requirement.
• Some states only allow live or interactive formats and do not count self-study toward compliance.
• Attorneys should always confirm state-specific limits before relying solely on self-study courses.

Key Takeaway: Self-study CLE lets attorneys earn credits on their own schedule through recorded or written materials, but most states impose limits on how many hours may count toward annual or biennial requirements.

Yes – many CLE programs and bar associations offer courses in entertainment law (also referred to as media and sports law).
These courses explore topics such as intellectual property, licensing, contract negotiation, rights management, and legal issues in film, music, and digital media.

• Georgia’s Institute of Continuing Legal Education offers an Entertainment Law Boot Camp reported to the Georgia CLE Regulation Department.
• Illinois State Bar Association has a CLE titled “Niching Down in Sports & Entertainment Law.”
• Sprout Education provides accredited entertainment law programs, including Anti-SLAPP in the Media Industry and AI & IP in Pop Culture and Sports
  , which qualify for CLE credit in approved jurisdictions.
• Bar sections such as the Minnesota Bar’s Sports, Art & Entertainment Law Section frequently host CLEs and discussions on entertainment-related topics.

Caveats & Tips:
1. Always verify that a specific entertainment law CLE is approved for credit in your jurisdiction before taking it.
2. Entertainment law courses may count toward general, business, or intellectual property credit categories depending on the state’s rules.
3. Some states require the provider to be accredited or preapproved before granting CLE credit.
4. Check whether ethics or professionalism credits are included, especially in areas addressing client representation and rights issues.

Key Takeaway
Entertainment law CLEs are widely available through bar programs and accredited providers – always confirm approval for credit in your jurisdiction before reporting completion.